Clockwork Enigma
by faeriegirl12
Summary: When Tessa Gray is put through a Portal by her own brother to the modern-day Brooklyn Institute, she doensn't know what to think. But she finds herself without any memory of her past or why she is there. Tessa battles a web of love interests and Shadowhunter and shapeshifting complications as she tries to remember her past. But remembering can be more lethal than Tessa imagines.
1. Prologue

Clockwork Enigma

Prologue

**Hey you lot! I've decided to write another Wessa fanfic. . . hehe. This one is going to be a bit different from my other fanfic, Clockwork Academy. Yes, this one is Clockwork Enigma, but is not a sequel to Clockwork Academy of any sort. This is yet another Wessa fanfic, but does have some Jessa as well as my other favorite ships. This fanfic includes not only the TID characters, but the TMI ones like Clary, Jace, Magnus, Isabelle, Sebastian, and Alec. Tell me what you think! **

_"Nate, where are you taking me?" Tessa Gray asked through a laugh as her brother dragged her to an unknown room of their house. _

_It was the Victorian Era in London, Britain. London weather was the same as ever: gray and rainy and cold. But Tessa didn't care about the weather. She'd just arrived in London from America at her brother Nathaniel's request. A strange carriage with a snake symbol on it had picked her up from the port, but Tessa didn't care. Nate was inside it and she'd never been more happy to see her long-lost brother. _

_"It's a surprise, Tessie," Nate countered, throwing a wild grin over his shoulder. "And if my little sister hasn't changed a bit, I know she likes surprises." _

_"You know me too well," Tessa commented. She didn't know the house Nate had bought had this many floors. They must've been almost up at the attic. _

_"Close your eyes," Nate ordered and Tessa obeyed with a small smile upon her face, trusting her brother. She wondered what the surprise would be. Maybe books? Perhaps the book she'd been longing to read again, _A Tale of Two Cities_? Tessa had lost her favorite copy on the journey to London. _

_Tessa heard the sound of a door shutting softly behind her, and then the click of a lock being turned. For some odd reason, that one little click unsettled her slightly. "Nate. . .? What's going on?" _

_"It's the surprise, Tessie!" Nate sounded slightly offended. "No peeking!" _

_Tessa relaxed. It was just Nate, after all. _

_She then heard the noise of something else being opened, almost like a closet door, but with it came the rushing of wind like they were standing above the ocean on a cliff. _

_Tessa decided this "surprise" wasn't getting to be very much fun anymore. She snapped her eyes open. The scene that greeted her nearly had her falling backwards in shock. _

_Something she'd never seen before was on the wall closest to her. It was circular, oval shape of what seemed like rippling water on the wall. On either side of it were golden doors, like a hatch. Wind streamed out from the watery substance. _

_Tessa felt fear rise up in her like an animal. "Nate? What are you doing?" _

_Her brother appeared out of the shadows behind her. On his face was an expression Tessa had never seen before, but frightened her immensely. _

_"What's going on, Nate?" _

_"You ask too many questions, _Tessie._" The nickname was like a slap in the face to Tessa. She didn't know what was going on, only that it wasn't funny at all. A predatory look swam across Nate's familiar, twisted features. "See, we needed you out of the picture. With you here, the Magister will never survive." _

_"Are you mad, Nate?" Tessa gasped as the blue light from the water rippled over the walls. She backed towards the door. "Who are you talking about? Who is the Magister?" _

_Nate's face hardened as he repeated himself. "Oh, Tessa. You ask too many questions." _

_Before Tessa knew it, she was being shoved into the water with panicked screams. Her vision turned blue and thoughts spun in her mind. _

_The last thing Tessa Gray saw was her brother as from a great distance, rippling and glimmering faintly as though _he _was the one in the water. _


	2. Chapter One: Brooklyn

**How many reviews can I get? :) how's the story going? I know that prologue was waaay short and too much of a cliffhanger *chuckles evilly*. But here's another chapter, set in modern-day Brooklyn. DISCLAIMER: I not own The Infernal Devices or The Mortal Instruments. **

**Chapter One: Brooklyn**

Sunlight danced across Tessa's tightly closed eyelids. Her mind felt fuzzy and blurry, not to mention she had a raging headache. Something felt terribly wrong inside Tessa, but she couldn't figure out what on Earth it was. Her eyes flew open.

Several unfamiliar figures were hovering over her. Tessa gasped as though she'd just surfaced from a lake. Some kind of strange fright filled her blood. She couldn't remember how she got to this. . . place. No memory came to the forefront of her mind, which frightened her to an indescribable height.

"Are you all right?" a short girl with flaming hair asked Tessa. There was a dark-haired girl with a scar sitting next to her.

"I— I don't know," Tessa replied shakily.

"Oh, of course you're not!" exclaimed the scarred girl with a side glance at the redhead. "I mean, Will" her voice went sour— "found you in a side alley, passed out dead."

"What?" Tessa felt stunned. How did she end up in an alley, of all places? "How did I get there?"

"That's what Charlotte and Henry want to know," the redhead said matter-of-factly but in a gentle manner nonetheless. "Since Mayrse and Robert are in Idris, Charlotte is stepping in for them."

There was so many names Tessa didn't know she couldn't follow what the redheaded girl was saying. "I'm sorry, but who are you talking about?"

The two girls exchanged glances. There was a moment of silence, and then the redhead bolted to her feet. "Never mind. We'll figure everything out. I'm Clary, by the way, Clary Fray."

"And I'm Sophie," the dark-haired girl put in. "In spite of the circumstances, it's lovely to meet you. What's your name?"

"Tessa Gray," Tessa said, hearing herself as if she was worlds away. "My real name is Theresa, but call me Tessa."

Clary shook her hand, and Sophie ran off to get something. Tessa thought they both seemed very nice, but that she would just like to know what was going on.

"What is this place?" Tessa asked Clary.

"The Brooklyn Institute. There's many more Sha— people that live here, but they're. . . out on an errand." Clary sounded like she was choosing her word choice carefully.

"How did I get here?" Tessa wondered out loud, looking to Clary for an answer.

"That's the weird thing." Clary took a deep breath. "See, Will and Jem— two of the people that live here— were out one night a few days ago, and they came back with you. They said they'd found you in an alleyway, that you weren't moving. Charlotte, who is. . . _substituting _for the heads of the Institute, called in the Silent— a doctor, I mean, who did some tests on you."

Tessa frowned. It sounded an awful lot like Clary was hiding something. "What _kind_ of tests did they do on me?"

Right before Clary could answer, Sophie ran back in, clutching a bundle of cloth.

"I didn't think you'd want to keep wearing Isabelle's nightgown all day long," Sophie explained as she handed Tessa the bundle of clothing.

As Tessa, who was a very modest person, realized she was wearing a piece of clothing that was white, frilly, and lacy, she thanked the heavens for a change of clothes.

After Tessa changed her clothes, the three girls waited for the rest of the Institute's inhabitants.

"Where is everyone?" Tessa questioned. Clary and Sophie had told her the amount of people living in the Institute, which Tessa still didn't really understand. Sophie kept saying that once Charlotte got back, they'd explain everything.

"They're. . . out," Sophie said cautiously. "They didn't. . . want us to come along because we. . . couldn't. Us and Jessamine. But Jessamine's in a sour mood."

"Who lives in the Institute?" Tessa looked around the place she still was— Clary's room.

Clary began to explain. "There's me, Sophie, Isabelle, who is really pretty with long, dark hair, Alec, who's Isabelle's brother, Charlotte, who is short and redheaded like me, Jace, who is—"

"Your boyfriend," Sophie interrupted with a smirk.

Clary blushed pink. "Yes, Jace is. Then there's Gabriel and Gideon Lightwood, who moved in here after their dad, Benedict, threw them out. Gabriel is dating Cecily Herondale, and Gideon is dating Sophie right here." Clary threw a suggestive look at Sophie, who hit her in the arm. "There's also Jem Carstairs, who has silver hair and eyes, Will, Cecily, and Ella Herondale, who all have black hair and blue eyes, Jessamine Lovelace, who is blonde and is usually in a really awful mood, Mayrse and Robert Lightwood, who are Isabelle and Alec's parents— Gideon, Gabriel, Mayrse, Robert, Isabelle, and Alec are all related to some degree—, Henry and Charlotte Branwell, who run the Institute when Mayrse and Robert are away, which is pretty often, Agatha and Bridget, who are the head chefs, and the cousins Aline Penhallow and Sebastian Verlac. We have some visitors pretty often— Simon Lewis, one of my best friends, and Magnus Bane, who is Alec's boyfriend."

Tessa's head spun. "That's a lot of people."

Sophie nodded. "Everyone's really nice though, except for—" she broke off suddenly. "Anyways, I'm sure they'll like you."

The distant sound of a door banging open made them all jump.

"They're home," breathed Clary, who was suddenly darting out of her room.

"Why is she running so fast?" Tessa watched Clary dash down the huge staircase to meet the crowd of people spilling in through the double doors. As they got closer, she could see gears spinning across the doors, locking them.

Sophie sighed. "She's just worried about Jace. Clary and Jace have had some. . . interesting moments in their relationship, you could say."

Tessa could recognize— at least she thought she could— most of them from Clary's helpful descriptions. She could see all the Herondale siblings, who were all completely gorgeous. Jem Carstairs was easy to pick out. Tessa guessed the blonde boy with tawny eyes was Jace, because he currently had his arms around Clary. Tessa thought she knew who Isabelle Lightwood was, who was wearing black with an impressive pair of stiletto boots. In fact, they were all wearing black clothes splattered with something. As Sophie and Tessa came closer, Tessa could see that it was blood.

She felt herself shuddering. What kind of errand was this?

A small woman with bright hair— Charlotte, Tessa guessed— noticed Tessa.

"Hi, you're Tessa, right?" Charlotte asked calmly as though she wasn't covered in blood, breaking away from the group.

"That's me," Tessa answered. Finally, now all of her questions would be answered. "Are you Charlotte?"

"Charlotte Branwell," Charlotte said with a friendly smile. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to be here when you woke up. There was an abrupt, unexpected emergency we had to deal with."

Tessa felt a sudden liking towards the friendly woman. Tessa still felt very tense and on guard, though. "That's okay. Clary and Sophie were here."

"Good." Charlotte grinned, and in that moment, Tessa realized just how young Charlotte was— how they all were. They were all so young, but already came back with blood on their hands.

"Sleeping Beauty awakens," one of the Herondale siblings proclaimed loudly and sarcastically. Tessa tried to remember what Clary had said the Herondales' names were. . . Cecily, Ella and Will? The "Sleeping Beauty" one had to be Will. All the Herondales' eyes were a strange shade— blue-violet. They all had black hair and perfect features. _Figures. _

"_Will!_" several people exclaimed simultaneously in indignant tones.

"None of you can handle a joke," complained Will, grinning. "What's your name, Sleeping Beauty?"

One of the Herondale girls smacked him. "Will, quit it!"

Two sandy-haired boys looked like they were swallowing a laugh. Jem Carstairs was watching the situation unfold with eyebrows raised. Isabelle and Alec Lightwood looked like they were drawing black spirals on each other. Clary was doing the same to Jace, who looked mildly amused. Jessamine had appeared grouchily at the top of the stairs.

"Shut up, Will," Sophie snapped with a glare at him.

"Couldn't have put it better myself," commented one of the Herondale girls with a smirk. She brushed yanked a long blade out of a belt around her waist and twirled it with ease.

"The sandy-haired boys are Gideon and Gabriel Lightwood," Sophie said in an undertone to Tessa, who was lucky that Will had been distracted by Jem. "Aline and Sebastian aren't back yet, I think. The red-haired man is Henry. The Herondale with the knife is Ella, and the one who hit Will is Cecily."

Tessa nodded, trying to remember all the information and names. Will shot her a half-seductive grin across the entrance hall, and Tessa looked away. She had a feeling that the only thing Will was going to be was bad news.

Sophie had introduced Tessa to the library before dinner, and Tessa found herself spending most of the time in there after dinner. Charlotte had said she'd send a message down to Tessa when she was ready to explain everything, so Tessa waited patiently amongst the library.

Tessa loved books, and this library had all of her favorites and some she'd never seen before. Suddenly, an idea jumped out of her. _I can tell what time this is by looking at the publishing date! _Excited, Tessa grabbed the book she recognized the least and flipped it open to the first few pages. _Published 2014. _

Tessa dropped the book in shock. _2014 ? What?! _The last year Tessa had been in was 1787, which was. . . Tessa didn't even want to count the years. _What the heck am I doing here? _

Tessa stumbled backwards, stunned. How did she get in 2014? Trying to remember was no use, because Tessa could find not even a snippet of a memory from her past.

"You look like you're in deep thought," came a cultured, musing voice from behind Tessa. "Thinking of me?"

Tessa turned sharply to see Will Herondale, a short length in front of her now, leaning casually on a bookshelf. In his hand was _Vathek. _

"No," Tessa said quickly, afraid she was staring at his blatant beauty.

"You know, I don't believe we've ever been properly introduced. What's your name?"

"I'm Theresa Gray, but call me Tessa," Tessa replied, trying to avoid his arrogant comments.

"Excellent." Will winked. "In case you don't know, Tess, I'm William Herondale. You know, the one everyone is always swooning about?"

Tessa turned back to the bookcase with a sigh, shelving the book she'd dropped. _2014. _It rang in her ears like a song stuck in your head. "Why are you here, Will?"

"Is it a crime to converse with lovely girls?" was the slightly mocking reply. "Actually, though, Charlotte sent me to get you."

"Charlotte's ready to talk to me?" Tessa shot up, whirling around. "Right now?"

"You're more excited to talk to Charlotte than me?" Will feigned a hurt tone. "I didn't know that could happen in this universe."

"You'd be surprised," Tessa muttered under her breath.

"Did I hear something?"

"Just your own ego trying to communicate with you," Tessa shot back.

"How you wound me, Tess!" Will smirked. "C'mon, Charlotte's office is this way."

Will led Tessa down a maze of corridors.

"How do you ever find your way around here?" Tessa wondered. She had never been an expert with directions.

"You get used to it." Tessa turned around to see the beautiful Isabelle Lightwood standing behind them. Her hair ran in an inky spill down her back. Strange markings adorned her arms and throat— matrixes of dark lines that spiraled into a whole new language Tessa had never seen before.

Isabelle grinned, her dark eyes lighting up. "Will, have you seen Simon anywhere?"

"Sorry, Iz. If you're looking for something hot tonight, I'm right here."

"Not even a chance, Will. Well, I'm off to find Simon. Later, lovebirds." Isabelle swished her way back down the corridor, leaving behind a swirl of perfume.

"So that was Isabelle?" Tessa watched Isabelle go.

"I still don't understand why she'd choose me over that scrawny geek, Simon," smirked Will.

They heard a yell of, "_You two! What's wrong with bedrooms?" _from down the corridor.

Tessa blushed. "Is she talking to us?"

"Are we romantically involved?" Will deadpanned.

"No."

"Let's work on that, then. I imagine she was talking to Clary and Jace. They seem to make out anywhere without privacy." Will laughed like he was remembering a past memory. _If only I could remember my past, _Tessa thought sadly.

"Here's Charlotte's office," announced Will in a sepulchral tone. "Bye, Tess."

"Goodbye, Will."

"The offer stands for you too!" Tessa heard Will yell distantly, and she found herself smiling against her own volition.

_It's time to find out what really happened. _

Tessa inhaled deeply, steeled herself, and knocked on Charlotte's door.


	3. Chapter Two: Fitting In

**Chapter Two: Fitting In**

On the third knock, the door swung open and Tessa stood tentatively at the doorway. It was impolite to enter without being invited— at least it certainly was in _her _time. Tessa didn't know the rules for living in this century, but it looked like so many things had changed.

In Tessa's time, most of the clothing worn in the century she was in now would've been seen as lewd and obscene. But here in 2014, people treated the clothes they wore like it was completely normal. And Tessa supposed it was. She was going to have to get used to it, but she wasn't sure how.

"You may come in, Miss Gray," came Charlotte's voice from the back of her office, so Tessa stepped inside, unsure what she was supposed to be doing.

"Good evening," Tessa said hesitantly as Charlotte's birdlike frame jumped out from behind a small forest of bookshelves.

"Good evening," replied Charlotte, and motioned to one of the chairs in front of her desk. "Would you like to sit down?"

Tessa nodded and did so. Charlotte leaned forwards. "What time did you come from, Miss Gray?"

"1878."

"Do you know why you came here, to 2014?"

Tessa felt increasingly frustrated with herself as she pawned through her mind, searching for even a miniscule scrap of her past. Nothing. "No. I apologize. . . Charlotte. I really cannot remember anything." Tessa cringed as she used Charlotte's first name. _Don't call others by their Christian names; it implies an intimacy between the two people. _

Charlotte went still. "Miss Gray— you can't remember _anything_?"

Tessa shook her head.

"Meaning to say that you have no memory whatsoever of your past?" Charlotte sounded worried.

"The first memory I have is waking up here with Clary and Sophie hovering over me. I woke up with three things in my head: that my name is Theresa Gray, that the year was 1878, and that I am almost sixteen years old. I've tried and tried to remember something, _anything _before that, but there is nothing for me to remember."

Charlotte abruptly leapt up from her desk and began pacing. "Miss Gray, there's something you need to know before we continue with this." Charlotte stopped pacing and sat back down at her desk. "The people that live here are not normal people."

Tessa was perfectly fine with that. None of her favorite heroines from books had been "normal people".

"We are not normal in the way that we aren't human." Charlotte watched Tessa carefully, trying to gauge her reaction.

"What do you mean, Charlotte?" Tessa forgot to not use Charlotte's— _Ms. Branwell, _Tessa thought firmly— Christian name in the midst of her curiosity. Tessa felt a small spark of fear, but it was instantaneously swallowed up.

"Everyone that lives here are part of a race called the Shadowhunters. Shadowhunters are half-angel, half-human beings that are here to battle evil and protect humanity. Our war is one that goes on to the end of time. We are gifted, us Shadowhunters, but the war cannot be won."

Tessa felt a larger spark of fear. _Shadowhunters are half-angel, half-human beings that are here to battle evil and protect humanity. _And, at the same time, it sounded straight out of one of the fairytales Tessa had read as a young child. It felt like she had been dropped straight into the pages of a book.

"Do you understand, Miss Gray?" Charlotte asked patiently when Tessa remained silent. "I know it's a great deal to take it, and I am hoping you will be able to bear this burden."

"I understand. But what do I have to do with all of this?"

Charlotte looked Tessa directly in the eye. "Miss Gray, you have to do with _everything_.Did Clary or Sophie tell you about the doctors that came to visit you?"

The memory felt a bit foggy, but Tessa remembered it. "Clary told me, but she said they were called the Silent something, before she broke off."

"The Silent Brothers are the doctors and archivists of the Shadowhunter world. They are very skilled in what they do, and are warriors of the mind, not necessarily the body. The Silent Brothers went into your mind, Miss Gray, to find out why you were here. They didn't find their answer, but they found a bundle of memories tucked away from you in your own mind. They tried to access these memories, but they memories were bound so securely by a spell that for them to undo the spell would result in your death."

Tessa shivered. She didn't like the idea of anyone digging around in her mind, but if it would help her, than she would allow it.

"However," Charlotte continued, "they did find something extremely important."

"What is it?" Tessa asked with dread, her hands twisting together in her lap.

"You, Theresa Gray, are very much like us Shadowhunters, but very different. You are similar to us because you are not human, and you're different because you have a power no one else has ever witnessed. Your power has been dormant for most of your life, but can be brought to life easily without much effort."

_You are not human. _The words slammed into Tessa as they took their full effect. _You are not human. You are not human. You have a power no one else has ever witnessed. _Tessa felt herself grow cold; frozen.

"Are you all right, Miss Gray?"

"I don't know," Tessa managed, shaking.

"Should I save the rest of this for tomorrow?" Charlotte asked kindly.

"No." Tessa's hands clenched on her shirt, and she knew it was probably draping it indecently around her body, but she didn't care. "Tell me the rest."

"As you wish." Charlotte's eyes were concerned. "You are a shapeshifter, Miss Gray. Your power was found by the Silent Brothers, who have never seen anything like it. _I _have never seen anything like it."

"That's _impossible._"

"The Silent Brothers do not lie, Miss Gray," Charlotte said steadily.

Tessa felt faint. So it _was_ true. But how could she have not noticed? _Charlotte said my power has been dormant, that's why. _

"I'm sorry, Miss Gray," Charlotte apologized.

"It's not your fault." Tessa found herself stumbling to her feet, which wasn't polite nor ladylike at all. "I just need some— some time to think."

"Would you like to be shown to your room?" Charlotte followed Tessa to the door.

Tessa knew it was rude of her to simply walk out without answering Charlotte, but she did it anyways.

_I have to get out of here. _

Tessa woke up the next morning in the library, feeling torn. When she'd first opened her eyes, she'd wished that last night was a wild nightmare. But when she remembered that it was real, feeling of relief and excitement coursed throughout her.

Tessa decided to find her way to the kitchen or dining room— the Shadowhunters must've had _some _place they all ate, smoothing out her borrowed clothes. It was still horribly mortifying, but no one seemed to have spared her clothes a glance, so they couldn't be as bad as Tessa thought they were.

"Looking for the kitchen?" Tessa blinked in amazement as the blonde boy, Jace, moved sinuously and so quickly his movements were blurred.

"I am, but I'm not sure where it is. Is your name Jace?" Tessa asked. She hoped like she sounded more like the Shadowhunters at the Institute and not as hopelessly outdated.

"The one and only," grinned Jace. Tessa noticed that Jace and Will were oddly alike in their ways, except Will was all arrogance and seduction, while Jace certainly knew how good he looked, but there was something vulnerable about him that came out when Clary was around. "And you must be the Sleeping Beauty Will keeps talking about. It's nice to finally meet you, Tessa Gray."

Tessa's face went pink at the mention of Will talking about her. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"Here's the kitchen," explained Jace. "If you have trouble remembering where it is, it's two staircases down from the library."

Tessa entered a bright, airy room. It had many windows and several skylights. A few tables were scattered haphazardly about the room.

It was all so different, Tessa mused. She couldn't remember how she got into 2014, but a few lingering details from 1878 were still in her head. An image of a long dining table popped to the forefront of her mind. There was a distant sound of laughter in the background, and Tessa flinched. She didn't think she even had any memories from 1878.

Jace strode over to the table with Clary and unfamiliar boy at it. Tessa could hear Clary and her friend talking about something that started with an m. . . manga? Mangoes? Tessa had no idea what it was.

Isabelle was hovering over the stove, prodding something flat in a pan. There were various foods spread out all over the counters in the kitchen.

Charlotte and Henry were nowhere to be seen, and Tessa guessed Isabelle and Alec's parents were still in Iris, or Idris, or whatever Clary had said it was called.

Another one of the tables had a boy with white-blonde hair, a pretty girl with short dark hair, Alec Lightwood, a man with tons of glittery clothes and glitter around his eyes, and the two sandy-haired Lightwood brothers.

The last table had all three of the Herondales, Jem Carstairs, and Sophie, who was glaring at Will. As Tessa approached that table, she could hear a stream of innuendoes and profanities spilling from Will's mouth as Ella smacked him.

Jem's head shot up as if he sensed Tessa's presence. "Hey, Tessa! Would you like to join us?"

"Sure, thank you," Tessa agreed, sliding in by Sophie, who looked relieved to see her. "Jem, do you know where Charlotte is?"

"Charlotte and Henry went to talk to the Silent Brothers," frowned Jem. "Wait, did Charlotte tell you who the Silent Brothers are?"

"She did. They're doctors and archivists, right?"

"Right." Jem cast a quick look at Isabelle, who was still prodding the flat thing in the pan. "Tell me if Isabelle's done cooking, okay?"

"Okay," Tessa said, trying out the word. "But why?"

Jem sighed, laughing at the same time. "Isabelle. . . likes cooking, but—"

"She's not very good at it," put in Sophie with a giggle. "See, Isabelle creates really interesting recipes, but Jace is always saying he's going to get food poisoning someday."

"Oh. She's not done cooking yet, Jem. What is she cooking?" Tessa queried curiously. She'd never seen the likes of the flat thing before.

"How— oh, right, sorry. Charlotte told us you came from 1878. Was she kidding?"

"No, I really did."

Sophie looked dumbfounded. Jem looked thoughtful. "But, the thing Isabelle is making is a pancake, which are. . . flat cakes, sort of."

"Flat cakes?" Tessa tried to imagine the thing in the pan as a squished cake.

Will's head jerked up abruptly, his beautiful eyes meeting Tessa's. "You ask too many questions, Tess."

A memory slithered back to Tessa as she watched it unfold. _A blonde man stood in front of her. . . "Oh, Tessa. You ask too many questions." _

Tessa couldn't tell what the memory was about, but it had a distinct darkness and fearfulness about it.

"Sorry, Will," Tessa snapped, dragging herself back to the present. "Excuse me for wanting to learn about what things are in this century."

Will shrugged nonchalantly with a smirk, leaning across the table to hiss something to Jem.

"Sorry about Will," commented one of the Herondale girls. (Tessa still had trouble telling them apart.) "Will's just a real arse, isn't he, Cecy?"

_So that's Ella Herondale, _Tessa thought.

"Will is _the _biggest arse you'll ever meet," agreed Cecily, and punched Will in the shoulder. "Get the hell off me, brother!"

Will stopped talking to Jem. "Goodness. What flattering comments were just spoken about me?"

Cecily made a face. "Flattering? Sorry, Tessa. Did we ever tell you Will is also delusional?"

In spite of it all, Tessa found herself laughing, the frightening resurfaced memory forgotten again for the moment. There was something charismatic and hilarious about the three Herondales. Tessa envied them.

"Breakfast is ready!" announced Isabelle, looking unusually pleased with herself.

Jace jumped. "Er, Izzy, we sort of ate already. . . ?"

Isabelle scowled at him. "Jerk. I threw out the pancakes— I just wanted to see how many heart attacks I could give you guys."

"So there's no breakfast, Iz?" Will sounded disappointed.

Isabelle muttered something. Tessa suspected it was a curse aimed at Will. "No, but let's go to Taki's."

Jace and Will noticeably brightened, and Clary shot a look at Jace, who gave her a pleading one in return.

"Taki's it is, then." Will sounded satisfied. "No offense, Iz, but—"

"Oh, shut up, Will." Isabelle glared at him. "I'll persuade Kaelie to lace your food with a faerie drug."

Tessa had no idea what "Taki's" or "faerie drugs" were or who Kaelie was.

"You wouldn't." Will looked horrified as the rest of the room burst into laughter.

"Hey, Will!" Ella said. "Going to find yourself running stark naked down Madison Avenue with antlers on your head?"

Will wasn't the only one who flushed— Jace did too. Tessa laughed.

"I'm sure that's a sight that would be desired by all of Brooklyn," Will retaliated, with one of his trademark smirks.

Cecily made another face. "And then they'd promptly throw up on the sidewalk."

The room exploded into laughter again, and for the first time since she'd arrived at the Institute, Tessa found herself feeling happy.

_Perhaps staying here won't be so terribly awful after all. . . _

**Hey guys! So that's the end of this chapter, and I'm dying to know what you guys are thinking XD. Am I doing OK with the characters so far? Is the story interesting enough? Sorry haha. Also, I have another fanfiction out on this site: Clockwork Academy, which is another Wessa fanfic with added Jessa. :) (hint hint.) A big thanks to the people who followed, favorited, and reviewed! **

**To the reviewer Guest: Don't worry, I'm not offended at all! I'm really happy because of the advice you gave me, and you're totally right. I wasn't thinking too much about that. . . oops. Thanks for reviewing! **


	4. Chapter Three: Training

**Chapter Three: Training **

Tessa had never seen anything like Taki's before. Several times throughout the day, she felt as though she were dreaming —it all seemed and felt so surreal.

Shadowhunters. . . Half human, half angel. Impossible. But it wasn't.

"How do Shadowhunters defeat demons?" Tessa asked Jem curiously while they waited for their food to arrive.

"There are many different methods," smiled Jem, stunning Tessa unknowingly with his elegant beauty. "Shadowhunters are constantly training, for one thing. We also have a variety of weapons. Part of being a Shadowhunter is learning to think quickly and take things apart. Particularly demons."

"What are you trained in?" Tessa saw Will roll his eyes, and ignored him.

"All sorts of martial arts. We also fight with knives, whips, flamethrowers, and swords. Shadowhunters are taught to be graceful and balance well."

Tessa felt interest grow inside her, and quickly shoved it down. She loved reading books with warrior heroines, but it obviously wasn't ladylike to fight, according to her time.

"Are you all trained?"

Jem nodded. "We have to be, even if we don't want to. But very rarely do you find a Shadowhunter who doesn't want to accept their abilities and responsibilities."

"Is that what you were doing the day I woke up? Fighting a demon, I mean?"

Jem opened his mouth to answer, but Will cut him off. "Clever thing, aren't you, Tess? But, yes, that is what we were doing. And it wasn't just _a _demon, it was a whole horde of—"

Their waitress arrived right in the middle of Will's sentence. From far away, she looked like a very pretty blonde girl, but up close was more unnerving. Her eyes were completely blue, and when she smiled, she revealed sharp little teeth. "Coconut pancakes?"

Clary raised a hand. The waitress continued to dole out their dishes. Tessa was unsure what most of the food on the menu was, unable to find any of her favorite foods on it. She ended up ordering the same thing as Clary, mostly because the word "pancakes" looked slightly familiar.

After breakfast, most of them headed back to the Institute. Sebastian vanished unexpectedly, and so did Clary's pale friend.

"Would I have to be trained?" Tessa wondered.

"We're not sure about that." Jem frowned slightly, his forehead creasing. "It all depends on what our current situation is going to be."

"Oh." Tessa was surprised to feel a combination of relief and disappointment course through her. "Do _you _like training?"

Jem smiled. "I, personally, like it. Others would beg to differ, though." He threw a sideways glance at Jessamine, who was at the very back of the group.

"Who were the boy with white-blonde hair, the dark-haired girl, the really pale boy, and the man with glitter or some sort all over him, Jem?"

"That was Sebastian and Aline, who came to study at the Brooklyn Institute because their parents thought it'd be good for them to get cultural experience outside of Idris. The pale boy is Simon, who's one of Clary's best friends and Isabelle's boyfriend. She says they're not together, but no one believes her. The glittery man is Alec's boyfriend, Magnus. He's a—" Jem caught himself.

"Idris is. . . your homeland?"

Jem nodded feverishly. He looked like he was a million miles away, back in Idris himself. "Clary, Jace, Isabelle, and Alec used to know a man who would say beautiful things about the capital." Jem's expression went dark for a moment.

Tessa wanted to know what had happened to the man, but held back. She could tell it was a touchy subject for Jem to talk about. _Tread carefully, Tessa. _

They arrived at the Institute, Jace pulling the doors open, and jerked up, tensing. He relaxed almost immediately. "Charlotte and Henry are back."

"Where were they?" Tessa heard Clary ask him.

"Speaking with the Clave about. . ." Jace trailed off. "Never mind. They were talking with the Clave, that's all."

"Who's the Clave?" Tessa asked Jem, puzzled.

"They're like the Shadowhunters' government."

"The Law is harsh, but it is the Law," a voice beside them said in sepulchral tones.

Tessa jumped, startled, but Jem looked unsurprised. "Hello, William."

"James." Will inclined his head playfully. "And look here, it's darling Tess."

"Can you stop?" Tessa snapped.

"Correction: _feisty _Tess."

"Oh, sod off, Will," chimed in Cecily, who dropped in next to Will.

"Really feeling the sisterly love, Cecy," Will deadpanned.

"Hey Tessa," Cecily said brightly. "Ignore Will, he's a jerk."

Tessa laughed, and Will shot her and Cecily a sour look. "Cecily, are you and Will and Ella also trained?"

Will smirked, ready with some kind of snarky comment, but Cecily quickly interrupted him. "Every Shadowhunter who lives in the Institute is trained, and has been for a long time."

Tessa nodded. Remembering something she forgot to ask earlier, she questioned, "What are those marks on your body? I keep seeing them everywhere in the Institute, yet I have no inclination as to what they are."

Cecily brought up her right hand. On the back was an eye. "They're runes. Runes are part of what gives us power, and must be used carefully. If put on regular human beings or Downworlders, they can turn them into Forsaken. Forsaken are insane because their bodies were never meant to withstand Marks. The eye on my hand is a Voyance rune, to help us see the Shadow World. It's typically the first Mark every Shadowhunter gets."

"That's fascinating," Tessa said in awe. "What's a Downworlder?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Will said. Once again, the same memory flashed through Tessa's head: the blonde man saying nearly the exact same thing.

"We've had this conversation before, Will."

"I know, I just felt like I had to say it again." Will shot her a lopsided grin and Tessa felt a strange feeling in her stomach.

Cecily coughed slightly, and Tessa felt herself blushing. "Downworlders, as Izzy likes to say, pretty much sums everything up. Vampires, humans, werewolves, faeries, and warlocks."

Tessa had heard only faint things about vampires and werewolves. She knew what faeries and warlocks were, but she had a funny feeling she really wouldn't want to know what vampires or werewolves were. Her feeling extended to much of the Shadow World, especially demons.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Tessa, do you want a tour of the Institute?" Cecily practically beamed out. "I know I can't possibly be the only one bad with directions around here."

"Sure!" Tessa tried out a less formal way of speaking, in a vain effort to blend in more. "That'd be nice."

Cecily smiled at her. "Let's get going then."

Will watched Cecily and Tessa head up one of the staircases in the Institute, chatting amicably. He wished it was _him _showing Tessa around the Institute.

He knew he shouldn't get attached, that Tessa was going to go back to whatever time she came from, that there was something strange going on about the way she just _showed up_, but Will couldn't help himself. He knew he'd been captivated by the second he saw her after she woke up, with Sophie. And she wasn't even trying. But there was just something about her gray-blue eyes and brown hair. . . Will had tried harder than ever to get Tess to fall for him, and it wasn't working.

It was the first time something like this had happened, Will thought. It was always him and Jace the ladies were swooning over; they both had a charismatic, flirtatious nature that attracted women like bees to honey. But Jace had found Clary, and Will envied him for it.

Will hadn't told anyone else about his feelings for the new girl. It was ridiculous for him to even _consider_ liking her, because he was almost certain she would never feel the same. William Herondale. . . Flirt, womanizer, ladies' man. . . possibly _in love? _Will could see Jace, Gabriel, Gideon, and Jem laughing at him already.

Will sighed. If only he could intercept Tess and Cecily. But. . . couldn't he?

"Hey Jace! Over here, you blonde bastard!"

Jace turned around, one arm wrapped around Clary's waist. "Looking to see my beautiful face again, Herondale?"

"Why would I, when I can see myself in a mirror?" Will retaliated teasingly. "Really, though, have you seen Cecy and Tess anywhere?"

"Are you _that _obsessed with the poor girl?" laughed Jace. Clary laughed along with him.

"Is the great William Herondale being a flirty jerk or is he serious this time around?" Clary asked rhetorically.

"Who's a flirty jerk?" Isabelle wandered into the corridor, her sky-high stilettos making little clicks.

"No one," Will said quickly, and smirked. "The offer still stand, Iz."

"Ew, Will. You're disgusting." Isabelle grimaced.

"But I might have seen Cecy and Tessa up by the training room," Jace said, grinning. "Good luck, Will."

"Thanks." Will yelled to Izzy from halfway down the hall: "Remember what I said! I mean, it's not like you have a _boyfriend _or anything."

Isabelle had been denying that she and Simon were a couple, although it was obvious to everyone around them that they were both smitten with each other.

As Will rounded the staircase, he vaguely heard Clary ask, "What offer?"

Laughing softly to himself, Will ran up to the training room.

"And this is the training room, Tessa!"

Will heard Cecily's bubbly voice leak out from behind the half-shut door.

"This is amazing," Tessa said, sounding impressed. "You are all lucky you get to train here."

"You might be training here too, you know."

"Would I?" Tessa sounded kind of thrilled.

"If that's what the Clave wants."

"You know," Will said loudly, pushing the door open, "fighting isn't the only kind of training we do here." His tone turned suggestive.

"You're revolting, Will." Cecily yanked a knife out of the weapons rack and flung it at him.

Tessa let out a little shriek, and Will quickly sidestepped the knife, which went flying into the door.

"You should be grateful you didn't kill me," Will said jokingly, pulling the knife out of the door. "You could've ruined my beautiful face."

Cecily rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Why did you come up here again, Will?"

"I think we should give Tess a little education in fighting."

"So I can slap you in the face when necessary, Will?" Tessa said, a playful note in her voice.

Will felt a little thrill run through him at hearing her voice. "Maybe, Tess. Do you want us to teach you?"

Tessa took a deep breath. "Why not?"

"Excellent."

Will and Cecily began to show Tessa what the weapons were and what they did.

"This is a seraph blade," Cecily explained, holding up one. "They probably won't work for you, though, because you're not a Shadowhunter."

Once Tessa had seen all the weapons, Will pointed to the beams on the ceiling. "See those? We use those to learn how to roll, kick, punch, and flip without getting loads of bruises. Want to try?"

Tessa looked a little frightened, but agreed nonetheless. "Sure. I'll do it."

The three of them got up to the largest beam, and Will tossed them the cords they used to anchor themselves to the beam. "See, so you tie this around your waist and the other end around the beam—this part right here."

Tessa nervously tied the cord in the spots Will told her to.

"It's not that bad," Will said gently, stroking her hand a little, and heard Cecily mutter something about a "third wheel."

"It's actually a lot of fun," Cecy put in. "The rush is exhilarating, and you won't fall into the floor, either. Can I go first, pretty please, Will?"

"Fine, Cecy, jump to your death."

Cecily smacked him, but jumped. Will watched Tessa's expression change from horror to awe and back again as Cecily flipped gracefully, kicking off the walls.

Suddenly, the doors to the room smashed open, startling all three of them. Will and Tessa nearly fell off the ceiling beam, while Cecily ceased kicking, and plummeted towards the ground, stopping five feet short.

"Will, Tessa, and Cecily? Are you in here?" It was Charlotte. Will breathed a sigh of relief, thanking his lucky stars it hadn't been Jace or Jem or Ella.

"Um, hi Charlotte," Cecily called sheepishly, untying the cord from her waist and lightly dropping down the rest of the five feet. "We were. . . practicing flipping and stuff."

Charlotte's face looked pinched and white; anxious. "Will, Tessa, can you come down for a second?"

"Of course, sorry," Tessa apologized. "Will, are we jumping down?"

Will grinned at her. "Feeling up to it?"

"Let's just go before I lose my nerve."Tessa shut her eyes, and jumped off the beam, screaming a bit on the way down. Will waited until she had untied herself, surprised when she landed agilely on her feet.

Then Will leapt off the beam, loving the familiar rush of adrenaline as he watched the floor rise up to meet him. He deftly undid himself from the cord and landed gracefully (or at least he hoped he did) on the floor. "What's wrong, Charlotte?"

"I just got back from talking to the Clave, and. . ." Charlotte gasped. "It could be awful, but they don't care."

"What is it?" Cecily asked urgently. "Tell us, Charlotte!"

"The Clave wants to meet Tessa."

**How's the chapter? I know it's a cliffhanger, sorry, but I couldn't resist heh heh. How are the characters? Any improvements I should make? What should come first: some Wessa or some Jessa? Hehe. DISCLAIMER: no. I do not own The Infernal Devices. **


	5. Chapter Four: The Clave

**DISCLAIMER: nope. Cassandra Clare owns The Infernal Devices. I own my username. **

**Chapter Four: The Clave**

Will and Cecily looked ashen, their complexions turning colors to match Charlotte's.

"They can't possibly. . ." Cecily choked out.

"How did they even know she was here?" Will demanded, his eyes like blue fire.

Charlotte nodded. "They can, Cecily, and they most certainly will. The Clave takes what they want, and expects no Shadowhunter loyal to them to stand in their way. And they knew because of the Portal that brought Tessa here. By the time it had dumped her in that alleyway, the Clave had already known."

"That's mad," sputtered Will angrily. "Alicante is the one with the wards, not _Brooklyn!_"

Charlotte looked exhausted. "We don't know that, Will. And they clearly are not going to tell us. I've argued with them for ages of time, Henry and I both, but the Clave remains obstinate. They have told me that if Tessa is to remain in the Institute, they demand to meet her."

"What are they going to do to her?" gasped Cecily, still in shock. "Charlotte, you know what they do to half-supernaturals or a race they've never heard of! How do we know they won't do it to Tessa?"

Charlotte rubbed a hand over her face. "We _don't_ know, Cecily. That's the thing."

"What is a clave?" Tessa finally asked as the room went silent. She'd been dying in her anxiety to know what on Earth the mysterious Clave was.

"Our government," Will spoke at last. "The Clave and the Enclave. But the Clave is the one that wants to see you."

"I will go, then," Tessa said into the silence between Will, Cecily, and Charlotte.

"No, you will not!" Will exclaimed loudly. "You, Tessa, will stay here and— and—"

"Will." Cecily laid a hand on his arm. "We can't keep Tessa away from the Clave."

"The Clave doesn't deserve their power," Will said harshly. "Corruption is rampant there."

Cecily shook her head slowly, but there was a mischievous light in her eyes despite the situation. Tessa wondered why.

"Charlotte." Will appealed to the bird-like woman, spinning away from his sister. "You _must _see it my way. Don't you remember what happened with Simon?"

Charlotte paled, and so did Cecily. "William. Tessa is not Simon. What if all the Clave wanted to do was simply _meet _her?"

"That's ridiculous." Will tried to sound angry, but Tessa could see the rage draining out of him.

"Exactly, Will." For some queer reason, Tessa almost wanted to meet the Clave. She wanted to stay at the Institute, for she had no other place to go. She seized her chance, scurrying over to Will's side. "I think all they want to do is meet me. That's all. It sounds simple, and I doubt I'll be harmed."

Will's eyes hardened like blue ice. "You don't know what you're dealing with, Tessa."

"Tessa has to visit the Clave. And they want to see her tomorrow. That is final," Charlotte spoke again, sounding tired. "That is my last word on the situation. Will, you cannot just keep Tessa here. Like Cecily said, we cannot hide nor keep Tessa from the Clave."

"The Law is harsh, but it is the Law." From the way she spoke it, Tessa had the feeling that Cecily was reciting some kind of quote Shadowhunters lived by. It was meant to comfort Will, but it had the opposite effect.

Will glared at Cecily, snarled that he needed air, and swore out the Law and the Clave on his way out of the training room. Charlotte left soon after that, saying she had to go talk to Henry. Soon, it was just Cecily and Tessa left in the room.

Cecily snatched a knife and threw it bleakly at the wall. It embedded itself in one of the faded targets mounted on the wall. "I'm sorry you have to go see them, Tessa."

Tessa made her voice sound cheery. "I don't mind. Not really."

". . .and can you believe Isabelle went to the Queen's court just to see Meliorn. . . _again?_" giggled someone.

"Didn't they break up a while ago?" another voice, this one masculine, asked curiously. From the calm tone of voice, it could've been Jem. . . But it didn't sound anything like him.

"Yes, but why does Isabelle have to go and dig herself up another boy toy _now_?" The girl sighed.

The pair entered the training room, both in the same black clothes Tessa had seen all over everyone. From the white blonde haired boy to the glossy dark hair of the girl, Tessa guessed it was Aline and Sebastian, the cousins.

"Oh. Hi, Cecily!" Aline called. "And it's Tessa, right?"

Tessa shook her hand. "Right. And is your name Aline?"

Aline nodded solemnly. "Penhallow. Aline Penhallow."

Tessa was going to make a comment about how pretty her name was, but decided that it wasn't the time. Sebastian entered the room after Aline, and waved briefly to Cecily and Tessa.

"Why are you guys so glum?" Sebastian's voice had the slight twist of a French accent mixed with a British one.

"I'm going to see the Clave," Tessa announced. She didn't expect her words to have the effect they did.

Cecily grimaced. Aline put a shocked hand to her mouth and nearly dropped the sword she was holding on her foot. Sebastian looked relatively unsurprised, which Tessa was relieved for. She was getting a tad bit tired of all the pity, like she was headed to her death.

"They just want to meet you, tomorrow, right?" Sebastian asked. Cecily's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything.

Tessa nodded. "I think they just want to ask me a few things. That's all. There's no reason for everyone to get all worried."

Sebastian looked like he was mulling something over in his mind. "You're right; that's not too bad."

Aline looked stunned. "_Sebastian!_"

Cecily's mouth dropped open.

Sebastian shrugged. "What? Tessa is probably right. Why would the Clave want to harm her?"

With that, Sebastian went back out of the training room.

Tessa had gotten up early the next day. Charlotte had told her that the Clave didn't have a specified time for her to be there, but that they didn't like latecomers.

The only other people awake in the Institute at five in the morning turned out to be Sebastian, Will, and Charlotte. Tessa smacked into Sebastian on her way into the kitchen, who was shoving on a rain jacket over his black clothes and a hat on his head.

"Sorry, Sebastian!" Tessa exclaimed after she nearly knocked the hat off his head. "I didn't see you there, I suppose."

"No harm done, Theresa." Sebastian grinned at her, but there was shifty look in his eyes, like he was doing something he shouldn't and didn't want to be caught doing. "Good luck with the Clave."

"Thank you. Where're you going at this time of day?"

Sebastian answered nonchalantly, "Oh, just out to meet an old friend of mine. He finally arrived from Alicante—the capital of Idris—at oh-dark-thirty this morning at woke me up by sending me a very loud phone call."

Tessa laughed lightly. "Oh. Goodbye, then."

"Bye, Tessa." Sebastian ducked out the door, and Tessa couldn't quell the feeling that he might've been lying.

_But what business of yours is it if he is? _Tessa thought as she entered the kitchen without meandering about as many corridors, lost, like last time.

Charlotte and Will were sitting at one of the tables. Charlotte was scribbling things down on a piece of parchment, while Will was anxiously drumming his fingers on the tabletop.

"Will, can you quit that infernal noise?" Tessa asked as she sat down beside him.

"Sorry," Will apologized half-heartedly, and went from tapping the table to tapping his foot rapidly on the floor.

"When are we leaving?" Tessa wondered to Charlotte. "And where am I meeting the Clave?"

"In fifteen minutes." Charlotte didn't pause her writing. "And the Clave refuses to move from Alicante, so we're Portaling over to Idris. The Clave accepted this, and has sent guards to meet us in Idris."

"Guards?"

Charlotte nodded. "Oh, yes. No one can Portal into Idris without the Clave's approval or they will bounce right off the wards that surround Alicante. The wards are designed to keep demons out, but they'll keep anyone else out as well. And even with the Clave's approval, there'll still be guards there, because that's what they always do, and you're technically a Downworlder, Tessa. And Downworlders aren't allowed in Alicante, but it's happened several times already."

"So I'm not the first Downworlder in Alicante?" Worry sparked in Tessa. Downworlders weren't allowed in Alicante. . . So why did the Clave ask her to meet them there?

"You're not. The most recent one, before you, was when Clary's stepdad, Luke Garroway, jumped into a Portal with Clary."

Tessa let out a small sigh of relief, although she couldn't calm her nerves.

"Do you want anything to eat before you leave?" Charlotte fixed Tessa with a stern look, much like a mother hen, as she folded up the parchment she was writing on and sealed it into an envelope.

"No, thank you. I'm not very hungry at the moment," Tessa declined.

"Explainable." Charlotte made a noise, then checked the clock. "Fifteen after five. Tessa, you'd better get going."

"Wait. . . You're not going with me?" Tessa felt panic rise throughout her.

Charlotte shook her head in regret. "I was, but the Clave only allowed one other person to go with you, and. . ." Her gaze darted over to Will, who was tracing something into the table.

Tessa's line of sight followed Charlotte's, and she couldn't help but feel vaguely horrified. Will? Take her to Alicante? Tessa couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or not.

"You'll be fine with Will," Charlotte said firmly. "Won't she, Will?"

"Perfectly fine," Will said lazily, tense all over. At that moment, the glittery man—_Magnus Bane, _Tessa reminded herself—strode into the kitchen. There were cocoons of dark purple glitter all around his eyes, and some on his mouth too.

"Ready for the Portal, Charlotte?" Magnus asked calmly, a lilt in his voice. He shook his hands, spraying glitter all over the floor. Charlotte shuddered.

"Go on, Magnus."

Magnus murmured a few words, and a watery blue oval began to open up and gouge out the wall. The sound of rushing wind filled the room as the rippling blue light danced off the half-dark walls.

Tessa became frightened. She didn't know why, and she couldn't seem to control it, but it felt as if there was a terrible memory tied to these Portals. Except there couldn't be because Tessa didn't remember her past.

"It's not too bad," Will said softly to Tessa, who realized she'd been backing away from the Portal. His tone was gentle, which surprised Tessa. She thought of Will as many things—handsome, arrogant, humorous, brave—but _gentle? _"It'll be over before you know it."

"I know. I mean, I just thought. . . I'll tell you later." Tessa took a deep breath.

"Good luck, Tessa and Will," Charlotte said nervously, hovering near Tessa.

"The Portal is ready," Magnus said, dropping the two a glittery wink. "Have fun with the Clave." His voice became slightly bitter as he mentioned the Clave.

"Thanks, Magnus." Will looked like he was steeling himself. "Do you want to go first, Tess?"

Tessa swallowed, hard. "Sure."

And she stepped into the Portal, watching as her vision turned blue, just like—

A memory swam to the forefront of her mind. . . Portals and blueness and that same blonde man. . . _Before Tessa knew it, she was being shoved into the water with panicked screams. Her vision turned blue and thoughts spun in her mind. The last thing Tessa Gray saw was her brother as if from a great distance, rippling and glimmering faintly as though _he _was the one in the water._

_Brother. My brother. I have a brother?! _

Tessa began to panic as she saw Will and Charlotte and Magnus, all rippling through her blue vision, just like the man. _My brother, _Tessa reminded herself. For once, she stayed conscious during the Portaling. It was sort of peaceful, almost.

At the word _brother_, another memory came to Tessa. She saw herself with the blonde man in a carriage, seeing him through the window. . .

_Tessa arrived at a black carriage with a strange serpent symbol on it. She could see a blonde man through the crack in the curtains, the man carelessly checking a gold pocket watch. . . _

_Joy rose inside her at the sight of Nate as she tapped on the window, getting her brother's attention. _

_He hastily tucked the watch away, but not before she noticed the same serpent symbol was etched into it as well. . . _

Suddenly, Tessa was jerked out of that memory as a feeling rose up in her stomach. She was dropping, although. . . why?

The blue from her vision began to edge away. Tessa's eyes widened as a blue sky came into view, the bluest sky she'd ever seen, and it was close, so close. . .

Tessa looked down. The grass there was emerald, tinged with blue from the Portal, and a little to the left, the grass began to fade away into the unmistakable signs of a city. Upon the horizon were glimmering glass towers. . .

And then Tessa hit something. She ricocheted off it, screaming with a mixture of surprise and pain. Her whole body ached with dozens of miniscule pinpricks, like multiplying papercuts.

A sheet of silver rose up to meet her, shining like a mirror. Tessa broke the surface, choking on the icy water as she struggled towards the surface of the water.

Tessa surfaced from the lake, sucking in air and spitting out the water. Will, who had been lucky enough to not land in the lake, was kneeling with an almost fearful expression on his face.

"_Tessa!_" he cried. Tessa was slightly stunned to hear a genuine note of relief in his voice. Will reached out a hand, and pulled Tessa out of the lake.

"_Raziel,_" Will breathed at seeing her safe.

Tessa coughed violently as she dropped to her knees. More water came out, and she knew she ought to feel mortified—spitting out water in front of a _gentleman_—but she couldn't bring herself to. In the circumstances, propriety seemed a bit irrelevant and silly.

"Will. Are you all right?" Tessa finally rose, wiping her mouth off on the back of her hand.

"Of course!" Will exclaimed. "The question is, are _you _all right?"

"I'm fine now." Tessa looked over at the lake she'd just climbed out of. "What is that? The lake I fell into?"

"It's called the Lake of Dreams—Lake Lyn," Will answered, still looking worried. "It's poisonous to Shadowhunters, but not Downworlders."

"Oh." Tessa looked at Lake Lyn, the silver water shimmering faintly in the sunlight.

"Tess, are you really all right?"

Tessa grinned at him. In spite of falling into Lake Lyn and being soaking wet, she felt better than she ever had. "Yes, Will. I'm perfectly fine. Better than fine, actually. Why on Earth are you so worried?"

"Tess," Will began roughly, taking her hand, "I thought you were—" He trailed off, staring at the lake with a sort of horror, and before Tessa knew it, she was in his arms.

Tessa knew she should be pulling away in shock by now, but she couldn't bring herself to. Will's arms around her were so warm, and she felt secure, warmth zipping from her head to her toes and back again. She tentatively wrapped an arm around Will's waist, unsure how to react. In response, Will held her tighter, and a minute later, reluctantly pulled away.

Tessa touched his jacket. "I'm sorry. I got your jacket wet."

"It doesn't matter. Are you cold?" Tessa looked up to find his dark blue eyes watching her carefully.

"A little," Tessa said hesitantly, and a split second later, Will was shrugging off his jacket and handing it to her.

"Here, you should wear this. I'm not cold anyways." Will ignored Tessa's protests about how he should keep his own jacket, but she eventually put in on nonetheless.

They stared at each other for a second, and then Will looked away, back in the opposite direction of the lake.

"Will, we aren't in Alicante, are we?" Tessa asked him carefully.

"No. I don't know why—" Will tensed abruptly. "Wait. I _do _know why. . . Those _bastards!_"

Tessa felt herself blush a little. "The Clave? But why wouldn't they let us in to Alicante?"

Will looked ready to punch something. "They didn't let us Portal into the city at the last minute because then they'd have an excuse to belittle us more."

Tessa let out a frustrated sigh. "So now they have an excuse to get angry at us, and keep us in Alicante longer?"

"Right," Will said ferociously. "And maybe they'd use our lateness to justify keeping you in the Accords Hall longer!"

"Is the Clave really that bad?" Tessa asked curiously as she followed Will in the direction he was going.

"The Clave is rampant with corruption," Will said shortly. "So, yes, they really _are_ that bad."

"And Will. . ." Tessa paused.

Will turned around to look at her, his eyes burning with anger for the Clave and something Tessa couldn't identify. When he spoke to Tessa, his voice was curiously gentle, like it had been right before she'd stepped into the Portal. "What is it, Tess?"

"I. . . I don't know how to say this." Tessa was internally warring with herself. "But. . . Will, I'm starting to remember things. Things from my past."

"What do you mean, Tess?" Will had slowed down so he was walking by her side.

Tessa looked straight at him. "Will, I mean my memory might be coming back. But I can't really tell. "

Will inhaled sharply, his blue eyes meeting her gray ones. "What are you remembering?"

"Small little things." Tessa stared out to the horizon. If she squinted, she could make out the faint shapes of glass towers. "For the moment, they all seem to revolve around one person, although I can't tell when they happened. When the memories happened, I mean."

"Who's the person?"

"It's a blonde man, Will. His name is Nate, and he's my brother. Or was my brother. I don't know. But he's showing up in all the memories I've remembered."

"Nate. . ." Will sucked in a sharp breath. "By the _Angel._"

Tessa was still talking. "When we first met, and you kept telling me I asked too many questions, I saw him telling me I ask too many questions, although it wasn't in a nice way at all. Then I saw myself running up to a carriage with an odd serpent on it, and Nate was inside. I remember him holding a gold pocket watch with the same serpent symbol on it, and then he shoved it hastily in his pocket when he noticed me there. The last memory is the strangest one."

"I'm listening."

"Well, remember when I was backing away from the Portal?"

Will nodded slowly.

"It was because of a memory." Tessa watched Will's eyes widen.

"You have a memory with a _Portal?_"

"Let me explain, Will. So based on the memories that've been uncovered, I feel like I met my brother Nate somewhere. I don't know where, and I don't know why I was meeting him there. But I met him there, and he led me to this room. He opened a Portal in that room, and pushed me through it. He kept telling me I asked too many questions. But I can't remember what I asked!"

"So. . ." Will's eyebrows rose. "Your _brother _pushed you through a Portal?"

"I think so, but I can't be sure."

"That was terrible of him. I'm sorry."

"I'm rather glad, frankly. Because if he hadn't, I wouldn't have gotten to meet anyone in this time."

They were quiet for a minute, and then Will pointed at the horizon. "See the glass towers? They're the demon towers, which are the wards, and keep demons out."

"Have demons ever entered Alicante?"

"No." Will paused. "Not yet, you could say."

"How far away is the city from where we are? And what's that?" Tessa pointed at something in the distance. All she could make out were raised gray shapes.

"I'd say we have about another good half hour or so of walking," Will calculated. "And that's a graveyard."

"A _graveyard?_"

As they drew closer, Tessa realized that it was a graveyard. When they walked past, she could see that there were all shapes and sizes of tombstones and mausoleums. The tombstone that was most prominent to her was one that had _Adele Starkweather _etched into it.

Like Will had said, they arrived in Alicante a little over half an hour later.

Tessa wished she had several more sets of eyes so she could see everything she wanted to see. There were many old, elaborate houses alongside some of the streets, and the demon towers glittered faintly in the distance. Everything looked old or beautiful or both.

Will led Tessa to what he called the Accords Hall, which was a large, fancy building. There was a clamor of voice coming from inside, and Will cursed.

"By the Angel," Will swore. "I can't believe it!"

"What?" Tessa could hear a few catches of things like "inquisitor", "portal", "Verlac", and "Institute" coming from inside.

"The Gard is in session! So now we have to go inside the Accords Hall in front of half of everyone in Alicante!"

"The Gard?"

"It's like a big meeting," Will explained. "The whole city of Alicante is in there, except for teens, children, and the elderly."

Tessa groaned. The last thing she felt like doing was going into the Accords Hall in front of practically the whole city of Alicante with dripping hair and clothes that were still soaked, for the most part. "Do we really have to?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I can always distract them with my exceedingly good looks, if you like." Will smirked, and Tessa sighed. Just when she'd thought arrogant Will was gone, he was back once again.

"So we really have to interrupt the Gard?"

"Yes. C'mon, let's just get it over with." Will pushed open the doors to the Accord Hall, which, of course, made an enormously disruptive creaking noise.

And of course everyone in the Gard stopped talking and turned to look at Will and Tessa.

Will smiled charmingly at several Shadowhunters, and Tessa felt a bubble of hysterical laughter rise up in her. But when the whispers of _"It's that shape-shifter girl"_ started up, the smile dropped off her face, replaced by a bright red blush.

"Herondale." A man strode down from the front of the hall, not bothering to address Tessa. "I see you have finally escorted the Gray girl to Alicante while disrupting the Gard in the same moment."

Will inclined his head. "My apologies, Consul. We tried to Portal straight into Alicante after being told of the Clave's approval towards it, but curiously enough, _our Portal was blocked._ So instead, because our Portal was blocked, we had no choice but to Portal _straight into Lake Lyn, _Consul."

There was a slight muttering around the room, and the Consul flushed. "Very well, William Herondale. You and Theresa Gray will be excused once. Herondale, you are dismissed. Miss Gray, follow me."

Will's eyes bugged out in horror. "Consul, I really don't think. . ."

"_I_ think that you are _dismissed_ and that Miss Gray will follow _me,_" snapped the Consul, and Tessa had no other choice but to helplessly follow the strange man back up a staircase, seeing Will watch them go with something like terror in his eyes.

"In here, Miss Gray. . ." the Consul said dismissively, opening a door for Tessa.

Tessa fearfully stepped inside the doorway, not sure what she'd find. . .

"Hello, Miss Gray."

Tessa blinked with surprise. She'd been expecting some kind of torture device, but behind a sprawling desk sat a rather short, dark-haired man.

"Erm. . . hello."

The man smiled a deceptively friendly grin at her. His tone sounded like he was forcing it to ooze with an amount of cheerfulness that made Tessa want to vomit. "I'm the Inquisitor. Inquisitor Aldertree."

"Hello, sir," Tessa replied politely. "My name is Theresa Gray. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He held out a hand for her to shake, and Tessa shook it, but wished she hadn't. His palm was clammy and moist, like a swamp. It took all of Tessa's self-control to not immediately wipe her hand on the half-dry part of her pants.

"Yes, we know about your name," Aldertree said cheerfully. "But, my dear Miss Gray, there are some things we still are quite curious about."

Tessa resisted the urge to make a face. "All right. What do you want to ask me?"

Aldertree looked down at the first paper on top of a stack on his desk. "Well, for starters, how long have you known you were a shapeshifter?"

"Not long. Just when Charlotte told me."

Aldertree made a noise in the back of his throat. "Hmmmm. Are you able to Change?"

"No. No one has taught me yet."

Aldertree's eyes glittered, but he said nothing in response to that. "What is your opinion on the Lightwoods, Herondales, Branwells, Verlacs, Penhallows, Fairchilds, and any other Shadowhunter name who lives at the Brooklyn Institute?"

"They've all been so kind to me at the Institute."

Aldertree made another note. "Have they really."

"Yes, Mr. Aldertree. The Institute has been extremely hospitable to me."

"And what about this block in your mind?"

Tessa frowned. "What about it?"

"Do you know who put it there? Why did they put it there? Who asked them to put it there?"

"I don't know the answer to any of those, sorry, sir."

"This is unfortunate, unfortunate indeed." The Inquisitor tapped his pen on the desk in a firm rhythm.

When the Inquisitor didn't elaborate, Tessa asked him. "What's so unfortunate?"

Tap, tap, tap. Tessa cringed at the sound, which was steadfastly getting rather obnoxious.

"Mr. Aldertree?"

"That's Inquisitor to you." Tap, tap, tap, tap.

Tessa flinched at his tone, copying what Will had said earlier. "My apologies, Inquisitor." She longed to pull the pen from his grasp and fling it across the room to cease the tapping, which was grating on her last nerve.

At last, the tapping stopped. Tessa felt like jumping for joy.

"The unfortunate thing is that the Clave is not finished with you, Theresa Gray. Can you imagine what is going through the Clave's minds when suddenly a shapeshifter girl appears out of nowhere in a dirty alley, claiming to be from the Victorian Era in London, while ending up other the other side of the world—Brooklyn, New York?"

"Not really," Tessa said, puzzled.

"The Clave thinks of you as a spy for Valentine, one of the greatest dark Shadowhunters of all time."

"_What?_" Tessa gasped, violently scooting back from Aldertree's desk. "You think I'm a. . _spy?_"

Aldertree's laugh was falsely cheery. "Oh, no! Of course _I_ do not, but as for the rest of the Clave, they, well. . ."

"That's _ridiculous,_" Tessa said from between her teeth. "Me, a spy? Hardly!"

"See, Theresa, the Clave is not done with you. The Clave would prefer to keep you here to await further questioning, but Charlotte Branwell. . ." Aldertree trailed off angrily. He waved a letter. "_This _letter from Charlotte Branwell requests your immediate release. But the Clave is the one with the power, so you will receive a correspondence from us when we request you to come to Alicante again."

Tessa sagged with relief. "So I can go?"

"One one exception." The friendly pretense was gone from Aldertree's voice. "You can go. . . _if _you go visit the Silent Brothers."

Tessa remembered the Silent Brothers being doctors and archivists, so it couldn't be all too bad. "Fine. But why?"

Aldertree smiled in an ugly way. "You have a block in your mind, and the Clave wants it gone. We need information, you see, and we need it fast before too many of us make up our minds about you. You know what happens to spies, don't you, Theresa?"

And Aldertree abruptly swept out of the room, leaving Tessa frozen to her seat.

_Silent Brothers. I have to go see the Silent Brothers. _

_Or I could be killed. _

**Okay, guys, that was some legit Wessa right there in this chapter! Speaking of chapters, how was this one? Too long? Too short? Not very good? I'm dying to know! Any pointers for the characters? Don't worry Jessa shippers, get ready for some Jessa! Any requests? **

**Also, while you're waiting for the next chapter in this, hop over and read my other fanfic, Clockwork Academy, or my book, The Nightlings, which is on FictionPress! **

**I'm thinking of writing another fanfic. . . City of Bones completely from Jace's point of view with Clary as the badass Shadowhunter and Jace as the one who spots her in Pandemonium. Will include TMI and TID characters! Interested? Let me know! **

**Reviews for. . . **

**Lots of Jessa, Wessa, and whatever your favorite ship is (Sizzy, Malec, Clace, Cebriel, ect.)!**

**A visit to the Silent Brothers! **

**A party thrown by the one and only Magnus Bane (I'm not sure if this is going to be in the next chapter, but it might be depending on the reviews I get J )**

**GLITTERY MAGNUS BANE! (we 3 magnus bane!) **


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